LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — As parents scramble to get everything together their kids will need in the classroom, local organizations are lending a hand by by giving away free backpacks full of school supplies.
Earlier Thursday in Jackson, the US Staffing Agency had its second annual backpack giveaway. Starting at 12 p.m., the first 90 kids in line got bags full of school supplies.
Later in the day, 96.5, a radio station in Lansing, had its 13th annual backpack giveaway. The station partnered with Communities in Schools.
The event started at 2 p.m. Within the first 30 minutes, they gave out backpacks to 100 cars.
The line was down the road, but organizers kept things efficient, handing families school supplies through their car windows.
96.5’s backpack giveaway ran until 4 p.m., and they end up giving out around 1,000 backpacks.
The backpacks contained spiral notebooks, dividers, pocket folders, pencils, erasers and pencil sharpeners, organizers said.
“I remember when I was in school, I needed a backpack and the school supplies and we’re giving all that away,” said Genesis Terrell, 96.5 on-air personality and promotions director for MacDonald Broadcasting. “I mean, you can’t go wrong. If you think about it, if you’ve got a family of more than three, you’re probably saving easily $100-$200.
